Mitchell Heard has the handshake of a hockey player down pat. The second-round draft choice of the Avalanche grips a reporter’s hand and squeezes it like a piece of Play-Doh.

It’s now up to Heard to prove he can be a hockey player at the highest level. He got his first taste of the pro life this week at the Avalanche’s development camp, which more accurately might be better termed a “get-together.”

For two days, the Avs’ five draftees from last month gathered to get physically tested, get immigration work papers in order and receive advice from team officials about how best to achieve their goals of being NHL players.

Heard, taken 41st overall, probably has no realistic chance of making the Avalanche out of training camp this fall. But he’ll want to make the decision whether he’s sent back to his junior club — the Plymouth Whalers of the Ontario Hockey League — as difficult as possible.

“I can’t wait to get on skates and play against our guys from the (NHL) level. I’ve had a taste of that before, and am looking forward to getting it again,” Heard said Wednesday at the Pepsi Center, where the camp concluded.

Heard was actually at the training camp last fall with the Toronto Maple Leafs, invited as a free agent. Despite getting good notices, he and the Leafs couldn’t come to an agreement on a contract, so he went back to the Whalers. In 57 games, he posted 29 goals and 57 points as a center, opening the eyes of scouts, including the Avs’ Rick Pracey.

“I think his combination of ability and overall compete level were what attracted us enough to take him,” Pracey said. “He’s a guy who plays like he has something to prove. He just needs to continue to develop, but we see him as an (NHL) player.”

Heard, 20, stands 6-foot, 192 pounds. He wants to get up to about 200 pounds for training camp.

“But you’ve got to stay lean too,” said Heard, who has one more year left of junior eligibility, having played three seasons with Plymouth. “I’m just going to go back home and work as hard as I can in the gym the rest of the summer.”

Heard, from Bowmanville, Ontario, will leave town Thursday. His lasting memories of his 48 hours in Denver include meeting a couple of Broncos players, seeing Red Rocks, the mountains — and experiencing the mile-high altitude for the first time.

“That first night, I had a pretty big headache,” he said. “But after that, it was OK. This is a beautiful city. It’s been great to be here and I can’t wait to come back.”

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